


She Will Overcome

by lizardthewriter



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire | Pokemon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Versions
Genre: F/M, Houen-chichou | Hoenn, Pokemon - Freeform, Pokemon Journey, awholejourneybciminspired, ilovehoenn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2019-10-22 01:45:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17653655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizardthewriter/pseuds/lizardthewriter
Summary: May Maple immigrates to Hoenn due to her father, Norman, becoming a new gym leader there. She meets a reserved, arrogant trainer, and an ambitious young Pokemon.What does Hoenn have in stock for May, the 17-year old trainer aiming to become a champion?





	1. Her Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> Please review!! I'm trying to get better with writing, so this will really help. Also, I just had sudden inspiration to make a fic about May's adventure and stuff, so here I am.  
> Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm gonna be writing a story documenting the entire experience of May Maple in Hoenn! going all the way to her league battle and becoming the champion. im not sure how long im going to make this fic, but we'll have to see how long I end up deciding to make it.
> 
> enjoy!

May jolted awake. The moving truck had come to a sudden stop, so May sat up from the boxes she was previously sleeping on (yes, boxes) and stretched. Light filtered through the cracked open doors of the moving truck, which May quickly knocked on twice. There was no way she was staying in this van any longer, twelve hours in the back of a moving truck from Johto was already enough for May.

 

“Hold on May, I’m coming!” A muffled female voice said. Almost immediately after, the lock on the doors jingled and soon unlocked. The warm Hoenn sun landed on May’s skin, and she had to shield her eyes to see at first. “Welcome to our new home!”

 

Once May’s eyes had adjusted, she could see the house that she assumed she was her family’s on her left, just about 30 feet away from a house that looked exactly like it. A much larger building stood in the distance, but the town seemed very comfortable and at peace. Bird Pokemon observed as May stepped out of the van, getting a much wider view of her surroundings. When she spotted the bird Pokemon, she stared at them quizzically, trying to remember what their name was. In the first four hours of the trip, May had occupied herself by reading up on Pokemon that she might want to have on her Pokemon team on her journey.

 

That was assuming that she would _go_ on one.

 

“May! Come on inside sweetheart, the Machoke have finishing setting up all the furniture!” May’s mother, Caroline, shouted to her.

 

“Coming mom!” May shouted back. As she was turning around, she caught a glimpse of a boy that looked about her age walking towards the house closest to the one that May had just been moving into. The boy was dressed in an outfit similar to hers, but with a white hat and much more red and black. _Must be hot wearing that when you’re in a tropical region_ , May thought to herself. But before May could get a real look on the boy or say hello, he darted into the house closest to hers. _Hmph. Not very sociable._

 

“May, hurry up!” Caroline shouted again.

 

May walked into her new home and was quickly taken aback.

 

“Jeez, everything was put up really quickly,” she observed. Two Machoke were finishing putting the kitchen supplies on the counter, and otherwise the house appeared to be finished. A dining room was set up on the right side of the entrance, with a TV playing interviews with each of the gym leaders of Hoenn.

 

May’s observations of her new home were interrupted by the Machoke walking up to her and her mother, motioning that they were finished.

 

“Awesome! Thank you Machoke! Boy, Pokemon really do help around with everything!” Caroline exclaimed. May nodded her agreement, thanking the pokemon quietly. The last Machoke stopped next to May and seemed to her observe her for a minute, then nodded and stepped out.

 

“Alright May, go up and check out your room. It should be the second one on the right, but just check if everything is in order there okay?”

 

“Sure mom, thanks!” May smiled. She walked upstairs to her room, and saw that everything was in perfect order. Apparently Norman, May’s father, had gotten her a new clock to commemorate the move. She set that up as well, and opened her window to look outside. As she looked out of her window, May realized she had a perfect view of her new neighbor’s room. May could see the boy more clearly now that her eyes had adjusted more, and could see was actually quite handsome. The boy was reading something on a device (May guessed it was a PokeDex from the way it was designed) and had taken off the white hat she saw him in earlier. His hair was a little messy and he appeared to be very focused on whatever Pokemon he was reading about in his Dex.

 

“May! Hurry and come downstairs, your father is on TV!” Upon hearing that her gym leader of a father - yes, gym leader - was on TV, May ran down to the TV faster than a Rapidash. Once she got to the TV though, only the reporter was viewed. “Aw, I guess you just missed him.” May’s mother sighed. “Hey, why don’t you go meet the neighbors though? I think they’ve got a boy around your age.”

 

“Huh, I thought I saw him earlier,” May observed. She rubbed her eyes. “I’ll go see. They’re right next door right?”

 

“Yup. He’s Professor Birch’s son, a friend of your father.”

 

“Dad’s a friend of the Hoenn Pokemon professor?” May’s eyes widened in shock.

 

Caroline laughed. “Yes May, when you’re a normal type gym leader you get to know people. Just go next door and knock, who knows, maybe you’ll have a new special friend,” May’s mom winked at her.

 

“Ew Mom, gross.” May rolled her eyes, but walked outside and towards her neighbors house anyways.

 

 _I wonder what his name is,_ May was thinking to herself as she knocked on the door to her neighbors house. _He seems kinda reserved, but I’ve only seen him what, twice?_ Just as May was trying to reason what her possible new friend was like, the door swung open.

 

“Oh hello, how may I help you?” A middle aged woman with dark hair and ruby colored eyes asked. She had a pen and a piece of paper in her hand, and a pair of wire rimmed glasses resting on her dark curly hair.

 

“Hello, I’m May, your new neighbor,” May replied, putting cheeriness into her voice. “I just came from Johto and thought I’d come by to say hello.”

 

“Oh you’re Norman’s daughter!” May cringed at the label but nodded. “Come on in, we have a son about your age. His name is Brendan, why don’t you go upstairs and say hello? He’s in the second door on the right.”

 

“Sure, thanks Ms. Birch!” May headed towards the stairs, cracking her knuckles as she went. _I’ve really gotta stop doing that._ May scolded herself. As she came to the second room on the right side of the hallway, the boy that May had seen earlier started murmuring to himself.

 

“Pokemon, check. Potions, check. I might need to get some more Pokeballs in Odale town…” At the sound of one of May’s knuckles cracking, the boy quickly turned. “Who are you?”

 

May was taken aback by his harsh tone. “I’m May, your new neighbor.” She quickly explained, hoping to avoid possibly getting attacked by one of the six Pokemon in the boys belt of Pokeballs.

 

“Oh, Normans kid? I thought you’d be a boy.” The boy, May now remembered was named Brendan, remarked.

 

“Huh?” May quickly grew irritated. “Is there something wrong with me being a girl?”

 

“No, I was just expecting a guy,” Brendan rolled his eyes. “I’m Brendan Birch. Hey, do you have a Pokemon yet? I could catch you one if you wanted.”

 

May scoffed. “I’m going to catch one on my own, thanks.” _Jeez, who does this kid think he is?_

 

“Okay, well I’ve got to go help my dad with some research, so if you’ll excuse me.” May moved out of the doorframe, taking a good look at Brendan once more. He had ruby eyes like his mother that made him look quite handsome, and he would be great if he wasn’t so stuck up. At least that’s what May thought.

 

May followed Brendan out of his house, then paused once she was outside. _Where do I go now?_ May saw what looked like the Professor’s lab that didn’t seem to be too far away, and her house was only a two minute walk from Brendan’s. Just as she decided to head to the Professor’s lab, May heard shouting.

 

“Help! Someone please help!”

 

May immediately took off in the direction of the shouting, even with a little boy shouting at her to not go without any Pokemon.

 

 _This will be interesting._  

 


	2. The Pokemon

As May finally reached the source of all the yelling, she became very confused. A middle aged man with a lab coat on was shouting and running away from a small, black, dog-like Pokemon that couldn’t have reached his knees. The man was panting hard and suddenly stopped running, backing away from the snarling Pokemon.

 

“You there! There’s three Pokemon in my bag there. Please choose one and HELP ME!!!” The man yelped as the snarling dog Pokemon got closer to him. May sighed. 

 

_ There really isn’t much to be afraid of. The man is three times the size and weight of this little puppy, _ May thought to herself. May looked around for the bag that the man had mentioned and when she spotted it, May rummaged through it and found three PokeBalls. One had a flame sign on it, the second had a leaf sign, and the third had a raindrop sign. May thought for a second.  _ I wonder which one would work best in this fight, does it even matter?  _ Upon hearing another scream for help, May chose the PokeBall with the flame sign and released the Pokemon.

 

A small, chick like Pokemon with red and yellow feathers erupted from the PokeBall with a squawk. Its sharp black eyes were determined, and looked back at May for a command. Upon hearing the new Pokemon, the black dog Pokemon turned its head and let out a new growl at the new opponent.

 

“Oh crap, I don’t even know your name,” May cursed aloud. The fire Pokemon looked at her in confusion, as if saying  _ What do you MEAN you don’t know my name? _ May quickly thought back to what her father said about starters in the Hoenn region. “OH! I remember now! Torchic, use scratch!” 

 

Torchic, the fire Pokemon, sprung to life, scratching at the dog Pokemon in front of it. The dog Pokemon yelped, taking a direct hit. The growl of the Pokemon deepened in response, and it let out a loud howl. The dog Pokemon straightened, and started trying to bite Torchic in response.

 

“Torchic, dodge and use ember! Stay at a distance and weaken it from afar!” May shouted. Torchic chirped in response, spitting embers at the dog Pokemon while dodging its bite attacks.

 

The professor, now long forgotten, moved to a place behind May. But May didn’t notice him at all. She was completely focused on the battle, analyzing how Torchic reacted to the flurries of attacks from the dog Pokemon, which she now realized was called a Poochyena.

 

Torchic took in a large breath, and let out an ember attack that was larger than the other ones it had previously fired off. The Poochyena yelled out, and ran away as fast as it could.

 

“Yeah! Good job Torchic!” May cheered. Torchic turned back towards May with a gleam in its eye, seemingly proud of making the teen pleased. The fire Pokemon trotted to May, who ruffled its feathers in praise.

 

“Wow! That was an intense battle! And who might you be, young trainer?” The professor asked May. She took her attention off of Torchic, who chirped in disappointment.

 

“I’m May Maple, I just moved her-”

 

The Professor cut her off quickly. “Oh! May! Norman mentioned that his daughter and wife would be arriving today!” The professor grabbed May’s hand and shook it vigorously. “I’m Professor Birch, but you can just call me the Pokemon Professor or Professor. Say, how would you feel if I permanently gave you the Pokemon that you battled so well with just a moment ago?”

 

May’s eyes lit up. “Really!? I’d love to! But wait,” May paused in her excitement to kneel down to Torchic. “How would you feel about that Torchic? I want to become a Pokemon Champion and travel all over the world. Would you be down to be my Pokemon partner?”

 

If it was any response, Torchic jumped up into May’s arms. It nodded its head cheerily, and looked at May with that same determined look it held when it was sent out to battle the Poochyena. 

 

May smiled. “I guess its decided then!” The professor chuckled.

 

“You’ve only just met Torchic, yet he’s already taken such a liking to you. It also seems that you’re a natural in battle!” Professor Birch remarked. May smiled uneasily at the praise. “Would you like to give your new partner a nickname?” 

 

May thought for a second. “How about Blaze? Do you like that name?” The Torchic in her arms nodded quickly, smiling as much as a chick Pokemon could. 

 

“Great! Oh May, can I ask you for another favor?” 

 

May stood up, brushing off her knees with Blaze at her side.  _ Let’s hope he doesn’t make a habit of asking for these favors,  _ May thought to herself, exchanging a look with Blaze, who seemed to have the same thoughts as his trainer. May nodded anyways, seeing that she didn’t want to seem ungrateful to the man who just gave her the opportunity to become a Pokemon trainer.

 

“Can you go get my son, Brendan, who’s in Route 103. That’s just past the next town over. The route is a straight shot, so you shouldn’t have a problem finding him.”    


May contained her moan. Brendan, the boy that was rude to her earlier? 

 

“Sure Professor. Thanks for the help!” May gave a strained smile, while Blaze scratched at the sand in frustration. 

 

“No problem! Make sure you two come back to my lab before anything else!” And with a wave, the professor was jogging back towards his own lab. 

 

May let out a sigh as she turned towards the direction the professor pointed out. “Guess we’ll have to go get this kid. Ugh, he’s kind of rude.” Blaze chirped in acknowledgement. 

 

As May walked with Blaze through the wild grass and the route, she couldn’t help herself from becoming enamoured with the beauty of Hoenn. There was so much  _ green.  _ The nature was so beautiful, and she could see Taillow chirping and playing with one another in the trees. May sighed in contentment. Now  _ this,  _ the absolute beauty of being independent and curious, was what had made May want to go on a journey so badly. Blaze shook her out of her stupor with a chirp, indicating that they had made it to the next town over. 

 

“Hm. There’s a Pokemon Center here. Blaze, do you want to get recharged? Just in case we run into a wild Pokemon or something?” Blaze squawked in affirmation. 

 

After a quick talk with Nurse Joy saying that Blaze was in perfect health and a quick stop to ask for directions to Route 103, May and Blaze were on their way again. On Route 103, though, there were many more Pokemon. May saw lots of Poochyena, weasel like Pokemon who had zig-zag stripes, and small bug Pokemon with spikes. Blaze even stopped to challenge a few of the stronger looking Pokemon, to which May rolled her eyes.  _ I might have one of the most proud Pokemon in the region, _ She thought to herself, but battled the wild Pokemon nonetheless. 

 

After about thirty minutes, Blaze and May finally reached the end of the route. May glanced around her, looking for the tall, muscular boy with a white hat she had seen earlier. With her eyes trained elsewhere, she bumped into something hard, and was sent to the floor with a strangled yelp. Blaze chirped in alarm, and May rubbed her head, grumbling to herself about misplaced rocks. What she did not expect was to come face to face with an irritated boy with magma colored eyes. 

 

“Don’t you know how to watch where you’re going?” Brendan snapped, adjusting his hat so it rested properly on his nest of hair. May scoffed.

 

“Oh please. At least I’m not some weirdo crouching in wild grass scribbling in a notebook like a creep,” May retorted. She stood up quickly, and Blaze came to her side, mimicking the expression of her trainer.

 

“I was taking notes, for your information,” Brendan stood and frowned. “You got a Pokemon?”

 

May smiled. “Yup! His name is Blaze, and he’s a Torchic.” Blaze ruffled his feathers proudly, sticking his head in the air. 

 

“I can see that. Well, have fun on your journey then.” Brendan’s eyes dulled, and he began walking back towards the small town. 

 

“W-wait! Your dad told me to come get you, he said he needed us both at the lab or something.” May called after Brendan. The boy stopped, turning to look back at May. 

 

“And why should I care?” Brendan asked harshly.

 

“Because he’s your dad, and he asked you for something.” May replied, putting the same force behind her words that Brendan did. 

 

Brendan sighed. “Alright, let’s go then.” He began walking again, May not far behind him. 

 

______________________________

 

Upon reaching the Pokemon lab, May and Brendan were greeted with a wave of cool air. May sighed in relief. She may be the trainer of a fire-type Pokemon, but that didn’t mean she liked the heat any more than she did before.

 

“May! Brendan! Welcome back! I’d like to talk to you two about a few things, so if you don’t mind coming a little closer,” Professor Birch greeted. The two teens moved towards where the Professor was sitting, and Brendan hopped onto one of the exam tables to sit. May rolled her eyes.  _ Such a cool guy. _ She thought sarcastically. As if he was reading her thoughts, Brendan glanced at May and scoffed. 

 

“So it seems you two have already met, so that brings me to my next questions for May,” May turned her attention to the Professor, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. “How would you like to go on a journey with your Pokemon? I remember you mentioning to your Torchic there that you’re aiming to be the Champion, so going on a journey across Hoenn to meet all kinds of Pokemon and make many new friends would be the way to go.” Professor Birch explained. Brendan stiffened at the mention of becoming Champion, and his scowl deepened. 

 

May, however, ignored the teen. 

 

“I’d love to! My goal was to become the Champion of Johto at first, but a Pokemon journey is a Pokemon journey. Hoenn seems really nice too, so I’d love to Professor,” May said excitedly. Blaze chirped in the same kind of excitement next to May, hopping over to the Professor and looking up at him with pleading eyes. The Professor chuckled.

 

“Well, that’s great then, because I was planning on giving you a Pokedex to help you learn about Hoenn. Since you don’t know about the region much, Brendan would come with you on your journey too. Right Brendan?” The teen in question widened his eyes, jumping off of the exam table.

 

“Dad - No, Professor - I  _ can’t  _ go on a journey with her! It’d be bad, I wouldn’t-” Brendan stopped himself and sighed. May noticed that his hands shook a little bit, and that Brendan’s eyes now held a bit of sadness behind their ruby look. The Professor gazed at his son, a very tired look in his eyes.  

 

“We’ll talk. May, why don’t you go talk to your mother? I’m sure she’d want to meet Blaze and talk about the possibility of you going on a journey.” May nodded, not sure of what to say. She looked over Brendan once more, his shoulders were slumped and he looked dejected. 

 

With that, May quickly thanked the professor, and bolted off to her new house, Blaze in tow. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oop please lmk how everything matches up!! I want to make sure that this fic makes sense so I can write better, so lmk!!  
> Ty!!!


	3. The Approval

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have returned  
> i'm trying to be more consistent with my writings, but we'll see how this goes!

Brendan did not want to go.

May was alright. She was actually quite pretty, with shiny, honey-colored hair, and bright blue eyes that were as light as the shallows of the ocean. May was kind to Pokemon from what Brendan could see as well, so May was definitely not the problem.

But Brendan could not force himself to go on another journey after what happened. Not after the last time.

Brendan took a deep breath and tried to steady his shaking hands. 

“Now, what is keeping you from accompanying May on her journey?” Brendan’s dad asked. “Is it May, or is it something else? Did she say something to you?”

“No Dad, and even if she did, May would not be the problem. It’s just…” Brendan sighed. “I don’t want… that… to happen again.” 

Professor Birch frowned and shook his head. Brendan put a hand on his belt of Pokeballs, feeling the movement of his five remaining Pokemon inside.

“Brendan… What happened to Mitch is not your fault at all. Team Magma is to blame, not yourself,” Professor Birch said. The Professor’s eyes softened. “Go with May. She’s a nice girl, and you deserve to have a new friend.”

Brendan frowned and contemplated what his father was saying. Sure, he’d be at risk of seeing Team Magma again, but would it really be that bad? 

“I’ll go as long as I don’t have to battle.” Brendan looked at his father, a solemn expression on his face. The Professor sighed.

“That’s fine by me, but you might want to talk to May. She is the one you’re traveling with after all.” 

_____________________________________________________

 

On the way to May’s house, Brendan found himself holding his empty Pokeball, tossing it aimlessly between his hands. Brendan felt one of the occupied Pokeballs on his belt, and with a flash of white light, a blue frog Pokemon appeared before him. It was light blue, dark blue dorsal fins on its head and back. Orange gills covered its arms, legs, and cheeks.

“Hey Levi, what’s got you out of your ball?” Brendan rubbed his Swampert, Levi, between the two dorsal fins on his head. Levi let out a deep hum in response. “Looks like we’re gonna be going on another adventure boy.” 

At this news, Levi’s eyes lit up in excitement. Levi turned his head, looking at Brendan questioningly. 

“With a girl named May. She’s new, you might like her.” Brendan continued to walk towards May’s house, Levi following. 

Levi let out a small snort as if he was saying “No, not possible. I only like you, Brendan.” 

Brendan and Levi continued walking the short ten-minute walk to May’s house, which gave Brendan time to think. 

“It’s been just one year since we went on our own journey, huh Levi?” Levi hummed in agreement. “That was back when you were a tiny little Mudkip, ready to take on the world, huh?” Brendan sighed. Levi was the smallest Mudkip that the Professor had seen for sure, but all it had taken was love and training from Brendan to get Levi to grow to one of the largest Swampert Hoenn has seen. 

The same went for the rest of Brendan's Pokemon. Brendan reached for the PokeBalls at his belt, feeling the same jump of anxiety as he realized that he only had five of his six PokeBalls. Brendan sighed.

“C’ mon Levi. Let’s get this over with.”

____________________________________

May was vibrating with excitement. She had just gotten her first Pokemon, and not only that but would be going on an adventure! Sure, May had to deal with that annoying boy Brendan, but at least she got to go on a journey. 

But the real question about all of this was whether Caroline would let May go on her journey. Sure, May was seventeen now - that meant that she could live in her own house and go on a Pokemon journey without needing a parents approval. That didn’t mean that May was going to go without her mother's blessing though. May sighed. This was going to be a lot harder than she thought.

It wasn’t that Caroline didn’t like Pokemon or the idea of her daughter going off on her own to discover herself and make friends. It was just that Caroline was very protective of her only child. Norman had been pleading for May to be able to go on an adventure in Johto before the move to Hoenn was even thought of. Caroline had never agreed, claiming that “May was too young to go anywhere in a dangerous region on her own.” Now, May wasn’t with Norman, so she couldn’t use his fatherly-persuasion skills to her advantage. 

May looked down at Blaze, who seemed fired up and ready to run to the next route and get their journey started. May kneeled down and ruffled the feathers on the young fire type. 

“Blaze, I want you to know that we’re going to go on a journey no matter what, okay? It just might take some convincing on my mom's side. We’ll still make it to the champs seat though, okay?” May explained. Blaze tilted his head in confusion for a minute, then chirped and gave May a little peck on her hand. May smiled.

“Great! Now, let's go get to convincing.” May stepped inside her house, instantly spotting Caroline on the couch watching the news. 

“Hey, mom! I’m back!” May gave her mom a winning smile, hoping to brighten her mother’s mood before breaking the big question. 

Caroline looked up from the broadcast and returned her daughter’s smile. “May! How do you like the town? Did you meet the boy next door?” Caroline quirked an eyebrow at May’s beaming face. “What’s with the cheery mood all of a sudden?” 

“I did meet the boy. His name’s Brendan, he’s kind of rude and bratty, but that’s beside the point. I met someone really important today mom.” It was at this moment that Blaze decided to come out of hiding from behind May’s legs. He looked around at the dining room table and chairs, then turned his eyes towards the couch where May’s mom was sitting. Blaze chirped and turned back to look at May for her approval of the woman. May nodded, and Blaze darted to Caroline and hopped into her lap. 

Caroline laughed, ruffling Blaze’s feathers. “This handsome Pokemon here seems to be kind of rare. Did you get him from the Professor?” 

“Yep, the Professor was actually being attacked by a wild Poochyena when I chose Blaze from the Professor’s Pokemon to help chase away the wild Pokemon. The Professor let me keep him, he said that we’d make a great team.” Blaze puffed up his chest when he heard his name, seemingly very proud of himself. May and Caroline laughed. 

“Well, it seems that you two are going to get along great. I’m very happy you found each other.” Caroline commented. She smiled. “Norman is going to be so pleased that you finally got a Pokemon partner.” 

May smiled back. “Yeah, definitely. Which brings me to my next question,” May’s smile faded a little as she looked up at her mother. “Can I go on a Pokemon journey with Blaze? I want to see Hoenn, and I want to get stronger and defeat the Champion. You know that’s always been my goal, ever since I was like, seven, and now that I have Blaze I can finally achieve my goals. So… can I?” May’s eyes were sparkling with hope. Caroline sighed, her smile was replaced with a frown.

“I don’t know May… You’re still so young…” May’s mom looked down at the fire type Pokemon in her lap. Blaze’s eyes had the same look like May’s - pleading, and filled with hope for his future with his trainer. 

“I’m not a kid any more mom. I’m seventeen years old - it's not like I don’t know how to handle myself either. Plus, I’ll earn a Pokemon team and have Blaze and other Pokemon to protect me. I won’t be alone in this mom.” May reasoned. I’ll only mention Brendan until I absolutely have to… It’s my journey, not his.

“Sure, but I’d feel better if you were going with another human. Pokemon can protect you, but you need someone to have your back. Your father didn’t travel alone - he had friends to travel around Hoenn with him, and I’d like that for you too.” 

“May isn’t going to be alone, Ms. Maple.” Came a deep voice from the door. May turned and saw none other Brendan standing a few feet away from her, with a large frog-like Pokemon next to him. The Pokemon was huge, almost taller than Brendan himself, which was no small feat. Brendan seemed a little over six feet tall himself, and the Pokemon’s fins reached a little higher than Brendan’s hat. May stared at the Pokemon, and the Pokemon stared back. Blaze chirped and ran in front of May, glaring at the large blue and orange Pokemon in front of them.

“Relax, this is my partner Pokemon. His name is Leviathan, but I call him Levi for short. He’s a water-type Pokemon and the fully evolved form of Mudkip,” Brendan explained. Blaze relaxed a little but was still giving a fiery glare to Levi, which the water type returned with the same amount of ferocity. “Ms. Maple, I’m Brendan, and I’ll be going with May on her journey.”

Caroline sat gaping at the large water-type Pokemon. May was shaken out of her stupor and slowly began to walk towards Levi. She opened her hand towards the Pokemon, almost as a greeting. Levi’s glare softened when it reached May, and she gave a small smile to the Pokemon.

“My names May, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Levi,” May said softly, and Levi hummed in response. The water type nuzzled his head into May’s hand, and May giggled in response. “You may look super big and strong, but my bet is that you’re a huge softie.” 

May turned to Brendan, who looked at May with a look mixed with astonishment and something May couldn’t pick out… admiration?

“Nobody’s been able to do that with Levi before…” Brendan mumbled. He cleared his throat. “So, Ms. Maple, would it be at all possible for May to go on her journey? I have many Pokemon just as strong as Levi with me, so there’ll be no problems.” 

Caroline looked to be seriously thinking. She glanced between May, Brendan, and the two Pokemon. She had seen how Blaze was ready to step in to protect May from Levi, even with the obvious differences in their strength levels. May’s mother sighed.

“... I suppose she can-” May grinned, and Blaze let out a chirp of delight, “-but I want to hear daily updates from you, May. This journey business is no joke.” Caroline looked at her daughter sternly.

“Of course mom! Oh, thank you!” May turned to Blaze. 

“We’re going on an adventure!”


	4. The First Battle

Brendan didn’t mean to come to May’s aid.

He just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

Once Brendan and Levi had made it to May’s house, they heard the chirping of the fire-type Pokemon that May had chosen. Muffled sounds of speech emanated from the house, and from what Brendan could tell, the person speaking seemed desperate. 

“I’m not a kid anymore mom,” exclaimed a female voice from inside the house. Levi and Brendan exchanged a look, both realizing that an argument was underway in the small house.

With everything that comes with going on a Pokemon journey, danger is definitely a huge part - and Brendan understood that on a deeper level. Levi, seemingly comprehending what his trainer was thinking, brushed his head on Brendan’s shoulder. Brendan smiled softly and patted Levi on his head. 

It was at this moment that Brendan thought back to how desperate he was to go on his adventure at first. His mother needed convincing as well, and based on the desperation in what Brendan assumed to be May’s voice inside, she was having the same problem that he did a year and a half ago. Brendan sighed. 

“C’mon Levi, let’s help her out.”

__________________________________

What Brendan did not expect to happen was for Levi to be nice to May. He thought that maybe after a couple days that Levi would mildly tolerate May. No, it was the first instant that Levi saw May that he opened up to her. Everyone normally was scared of a large Pokemon such as Levi; he was almost six feet tall, and was sure as heck taller than most Hoenn natives. People normally walked on the other side of the street whenever Brendan was walking with Levi in the cities, so it was quite odd for a teenager the size of May to even consider trying to pet Levi. The water-type towered over May, having at least six inches of height on her. 

The Torchic that May chose seemed to be as fierce as Torchic come from Brendan’s point of view. Of all the Torchic that his father hatched, this was the only one that actually stood up against Levi. 

But Brendan couldn’t shake how astonishing it was that May was actually able to get Levi to warm up to her. After a few months of the long stares and fearful glances, Levi built up a wall against anyone that wasn’t Brendan or Brendan’s family. But May managed to break down that wall in a matter of minutes. 

Once Brendan realized he was staring at May, he cleared his throat, and explained to Ms. Maple that May would be perfectly safe on the journey. He didn’t miss how May scowled when he said that he’d protect her, but once Ms. Maple agreed, May just could not stop smiling.

“Yes! Blaze! We can go! Let’s go upstairs and pack real quick!” May made a beeline for the stairs, Blaze in tow. Ms. Maple sighed. 

“Brendan, thank you so much for agreeing to go on a journey with my daughter. She can be… a handful, thank you,” Ms. Maple stood from her seat on the couch, starting to head towards what Brendan guessed was the kitchen. “Would you like anything to eat or drink? I can pack food for you as well if you would like, it’s a long way to Petalburg City.” 

Brendan glanced at Levi to see his thoughts, but the water-type was staring off towards the stairs where May ran up. Brendan rolled his eyes in disbelief. I can’t believe this is happening.

“No, but thank you very much for your offer Ms. Maple. There’s a couple places we can stock up on food in Odale Town, or we can just make something,” Brendan said very politely. Ms. Maple smiled.

“Oh, you’re such a nice young man. It doesn’t make sense how May said you were a little rude…” Brendan’s eye twitched. Oh did she now? Ms. Maple laughed. “But please, call me Caroline. You’re welcome into our home anytime you would like.”

Brendan thanked her, and opted to wait outside for May with Levi. A giant water-type Pokemon and a tall eighteen year old was not a good combination in a small house like May’s. 

After a few minutes, May stepped outside with Blaze on her shoulder, looking ready to take on the world. May had tied her hair back, but her bangs still hung out of her headband. Her sapphire eyes were bright with excitement, and Brendan could tell that she was not going to look back on Littleroot at all. 

“Alright! Let’s go!” May exclaimed, Blaze mimicking her cheer. The pair started walking towards the exit of Littleroot Town. Brendan sighed and shook his head.

This was going to be one interesting journey. 

_______________________________________

“Can’t you walk any faster?” May whined. She stood ahead of Brendan, Blaze kicking up dirt with his feet impatiently. Brendan rolled his eyes. 

“If you just run through the routes, then you won’t actually get to enjoy the journey to your goal, you know,” Brendan met her eyes, looking bored and tired as usual. “Besides, we’re not going to make it to Petalburg City tonight. It’s already 7:00; we should go to Odale Town and get supplies and then find a place to camp out.” 

May frowned. He did raise a good point, but May wasn’t one to wait for very long. She liked to get what she wanted exactly when she wanted it… But she supposed that Brendan was right.

How annoying.

“Alright, so I remember passing Odale Town earlier on my way to retrieve you for your dad. There was a PokeMart there and Pokemon Center too, if memory serves,” May recalled. Brendan nodded.

“Yeah, there’s a couple supply stores where we can get shrinkable camping supplies. I do have some at home, but someone felt the need to run off on their adventure as if there was no time and the world was ending in a year or something,” Brendan scoffed. He didn’t even get the opportunity to say goodbye to his mom and dad before May was dragging him along the trail to Odale Town - Brendan had to stop and return Levi to his PokeBall before running to catch up with May. 

“Don’t get snarky with me when you’re the one that finally agreed to come with me on this adventure,” May retorted. “You seemed pretty sure that you wanted to when you talked to my mom too, so don’t put this on me.”

“Whatever, just don’t get ahead of yourself,” Brendan said right as the trio had reached Odale Town. “The supplies store is right this wa-” He trailed off as he realized that May and Blaze were dashing towards the PokeMart. “May! Wait!” Brendan shouted, earning a few annoyed glances from the townspeople. 

“Hurry up, old man!” May called back, turning to look at Brendan only to stick out her tongue at him. 

“What are you, five?” Brendan grumbled under his breath, but nonetheless, he begrudgingly followed the rookie into the PokeMart. 

_____________________________________

May walked through the aisles of the PokeMart, looking around at the different items she might need on her journey. Like Brendan said, it was a long way to Petalburg, and May didn’t want to get caught in a bad situation without an item she might need. May picked up an item, looking down to ask Blaze, quickly realizing that he was now snugly inside his PokeBall.

That was one thing May didn’t like about Hoenn - Pokemon were to be inside their PokeBalls inside all stores. In Johto, Pokemon were able to walk around freely with their trainers. Inside stores, cities, almost everywhere. Even offices allowed Pokemon inside. May frowned. She was really going to miss Johto, with its unique music and exotic people and food in all corners of the region. 

“What’d that potion do to you? You’re frowning at it like its the plague or something,” Brendan remarked in her ear, smirking. May jumped.

“Arceus Brendan! You don’t have to sneak up on me like that!” May gasped, whirling around to meet Brendan face to face. His ruby eyes seemed playful, yet lazy as usual. Slowly, the playful look left his eyes, and returned to their bored state. Brendan cleared his throat, stepping back to give May some room.

“You don’t have the clearance to get some of those items. See?” Brendan said, pointing at the tag labeled “Super Potions”. “You need to have three badges before you can get this item. So for now…” Brendan nodded his head in the direction of the normal potions, “You gotta stick with these.” 

“What kind of crap is that!?” May exclaimed, earning an irritated glance from the PokeMart employee. She quietly said, “I should be able to get all the items that I need.” Brendan scoffed.

“What, you have a giant Pokemon with off the charts power levels now? These items are for stronger Pokemon, and until you get there, they’re off limits for you,” Brendan said as if it was obvious. May narrowed her eyes at him.

“Oh, sorry, Mister-Pokemon-Master,” May whined sarcastically, dragging out the word “sorry” for emphasis. Brendan rolled his eyes. 

“Whatever rookie. Let’s just get you some potions and PokeBalls and go to the supplies store before it closes,” Brendan began walking to the next aisle over, containing the items that had May’s clearance. 

“I have a name you know,” May grumbled, but still trailed behind Brendan. 

After May picked out a few potions and some PokeBalls - all earning the Brendan “stamp of approval,” of course - May checked out and followed Brendan to the small supplies store. 

“How about I just run in and grab the supplies? You can wait out here, it’s not like you know anything about we need to get anyways,” Brendan glanced down at May, getting a nasty glare from the young trainer.

“Oh please. I’m not completely hopeless,” May scoffed. Brendan quirked a thick brow.

“The brands in Hoenn are different than they are in Johto. Come in and look if you want, but I doubt you’ll find what you’re looking for,” Brendan noted, turning into the store. May rolled her eyes, following Brendan inside.

How hard can shopping for camping supplies be?

_____________________________________

It was much harder than May thought. 

Every single type of tent, backpack, even sleeping bags, were way different than Johto’s. After about ten minutes of aimlessly opening bags and closing them again, May retreated from the store, gaining a smirk and a sarcastic “I told you so!” from Brendan, to which May ignored.

Once she was outside of the store, May instantly released Blaze, feeling a sense of relief as the chick Pokemon appeared in front of her. Blaze jumped and chirped happily, and May giggled. 

“I missed you too buddy, I hate that you always have to go inside your PokeBall whenever we go in a store or something,” May shrunk down against the supplies store, leaning her head against the store wall. 

“Tor! Tor!” Blaze chirped, hopping into May’s lap as she gazed at the darkening sky. The sun was beginning to set, the bright blue sky fading to hues of purple and deep orange. May’s expression softened. She had always loved watching the sunset, but in Johto, pollution covered the beauty of the sky at softening moments such as these. 

May was starting to compare Johto to Hoenn more, when all of a sudden she heard shouting. May exchanged a look with the fire-type sitting in her lap, and they both stood. 

“Did you hear that, Blaze?” May murmured, looking in the direction that the shouts came from. 

“Chic,” Blaze chirped in confirmation. 

May looked back at the supplies store. Should she really leave Brendan here? May was undecided, until she heard more shouting, followed by the call of what sounded like a Pokemon.

Alarmed, May took off into the bushes where she heard the commotion, Blaze in tow.

Brendan can wait.

_______________________________

After buying the supplies Brendan deemed were necessary, he realized that he was quite pleased with himself. He bought a tent, able to fit four people, two sleeping bags (one small one, just for his fun-sized companion), and two backpacks to carry around. Brendan didn’t like the bags that the hikers wore, so he just got two durable bags that he figured May might appreciate. The teen had to buy some clothes for himself as well; it wasn’t like May gave him a chance to go home and get his clothes. 

She’s too small to carry around a hikers bag anyways, Brendan thought to himself, smirking. He opened his mouth to say so to the girl waiting outside, until he realized that there was no one waiting outside. Brendan glanced around all the sides of the supplies store and the buildings surrounding it before letting out a breath of exasperation.

I can’t believe this girl. First, running off into a PokeMart alone. Now, who knows where she’s gone, Brendan put on one of the backpacks, deciding that May would get second pick on the backpacks since she chose to disappear. 

Just as Brendan was about to walk towards the Pokemon Center, he heard exclamations and shouting from what he would assume was a Pokemon battle. At first, Brendan paid the exclamations no mind. It was customary for there to be Pokemon battles in every corner of every route. But once Brendan heard the familiar Pokemon calls of a fire-type Pokemon, he took off towards the area where the sounds were coming from.

That idiot.

_____________________________________

What May did not expect to run into was a pair of men that looked to be dressed as pirates. They had white and blue striped shirts on, with a black bandana with weird symbol on it. The two were cornering a silver and gold Pokemon that looked like a strange robot. It had one red eye, and claws at the end of its body. 

“You stupid Beldum! Get in the damn PokeBall!” One of the pirates shouted, throwing a Great Ball at the Pokemon. The robot Pokemon, Beldum, May assumed, dodged the PokeBall. The other pirate groaned, and lunged for the Pokemon. 

“Bel!” The Pokemon screeched, getting pinned down by the pirate. May’s eyes widened. 

They were trying to capture the Pokemon! The Beldum let out cries of pain as the first pirate got out a rope, apparently attempting to tie up the Pokemon. May felt her temper flare.

“Hey! You pirates! Leave the Pokemon alone!” May shouted. Blaze let out a cry, stepping in front of May with a determined look in his beady black eyes. 

“Who are you? Scram, kid, this ain’t any of your business!” The second pirate snarled. The first pirate looked up from where he successfully tied up the Beldum, and scowled. 

“What? Ya wanna battle us? We were just claiming what was rightfully ours!” The first pirate shouted back. May gave the pirates the nastiest glare that she could manage at the moment. The second pirate shrunk back a little bit, but the first pirate was undeterred. 

“Yeah, battle me! You’re obviously hurting the Pokemon, so leave it alone!” May glanced at the Beldum, noting that it had cuts on its body. This just fueled May’s anger even more. 

“Fine, suit yourself! Pooch, come on out!” The first pirate sent out his Poochyena, which let out a low growl. Blaze narrowed his eyes, listening to May for her first order. 

“Alright, we’ve handled one of these guys before Blaze, so start it off with Scratch!” May exclaimed, and one of Blaze’s claws began to glow. Blaze dashed towards the dark-type, letting out a battle cry and swiping with his claw.

“Pooch, dodge, then use Tackle!” The Poochyena nodded, just barely dodging Blaze’s Scratch attack. The Poochyena charged, slamming into Blaze with all of its power. 

“Torchic!” Blaze cried out in pain, and May had to stop herself from running forwards to tend to her Pokemon. Blaze stood up quickly, however, and May let out a breath of relief.

“Blaze! You okay?” May asked, and Blaze nodded. May smiled. “Alright! Let’s do something about the accuracy of his! Use Sand Attack, and don’t stop until there’s dirt everywhere!” Blaze squawked, using his claws to kick up dirt in all directions. May shielded her eyes with her hand, and for a second, was concerned for her Pokemon. Would he be able to see in all of this dirt? Once May heard the determined cry of her fire-type, however, she realized that Blaze would be just fine. “Good, Blaze! Now, use Scratch! Don’t let up until the dirt clears!”

May could just make out the white glow of Blaze’s claws, and heard the yelps of pain coming from the Poochyena.

“No!” The pirate cried, “Pooch, use Bite on the Torchic!” The pirate’s orders were stifled by a large coughing fit, however, as dirt made its way into his lungs. May kept her hand over her mouth, blocking the dirt from entering. Her eyes began to itch and reddened from the amount of dirt in the air, but May’s focus didn’t waver. 

“Let’s finish it off! Blaze! Use Ember on those suckers!” The dirt in the air began to clear, and May watched as Blaze puffed up his chest, and in a second, let out a large orb of fire at the dark-type. The Poochyena cried out in pain as it fell to the ground, defeated.

“Damn it! This chick’s good, let’s scram!” The second pirate exclaimed, the silver and golden Pokemon forgotten. The first pirate scowled. 

“We won’t forget this, girl,” The pirate gave May and her Pokemon one last look-over, seemingly memorizing her traits, before taking off in the bushes. 

May glared off into the direction that the pirates ran off towards, before turning to Blaze. “Yeah! Blaze! We won!” May cheered. 

“Tor!” Blaze chirped happily, hopping from one claw to another. May was about to run up to her Pokemon and give him a hug, before remembering the reason she got into a battle in the first place. 

“Oh Arceus! Beldum!” Smiles forgotten, May ran to the golden and silver Pokemon in question. The Pokemon whined weakly as May untangled it from the rope the pirates had tied it in. 

“May? What the hell happened?” A deep voice asked from behind her. May glanced at the boy behind her before unclipping her fanny pack to retrieve some potions for the Pokemon in front of her. 

“Some pirate idiots were trying to capture this Pokemon, and they hurt it really bad. Blaze and I scared them off before they could hurt this poor Pokemon more, though,” May grabbed one of the purple and blue squirt bottles, but the Beldum let out cries of protest before she could do anything, “Shhh, shhh, it’s okay hon. I’m here to help you,” May explained to the Pokemon softly. The Beldum looked up at May, red eye suspicious. 

“Tor. Torchic,” Blaze gave the Beldum a light peck, and the robot-like Pokemon seemed to relax slightly. 

May sprayed the potion on the wounds that the Beldum had on its body, and the Beldum seemed to let out a sigh of relief. May heard bags hit the ground with a thunk, and felt Brendan’s presence appear on her right.

“Give me a potion, I’ll help Blaze,” Brendan said quietly. May passed him a potion, looking up at his expression. Brendan seemed closed off at the sight of the injured Pokemon, as if his mind was elsewhere. 

“Hey,” May said softly, putting a hand on Brendan’s toned arm, “It’ll be alright.” 

Brendan shook his arm loose of May’s hold, before nodding. “Yeah. I know,” he remarked coldly. May decided to ignore his iciness, and turned back towards the injured Pokemon. 

May started examining the Beldum more closely. One of the golden claws at the end of the Pokemon seemed to be cracked, and when May ghosted her hand over it, the Beldum cried out in pain. 

“Shhh, its okay, you’ll be okay,” May cooed, petting the Beldum on its head. May turned to Brendan. “We need to go to a Pokemon Center. This Beldum is more injured than originally thought.” 

Brendan nodded. “Alright. Here’s your bag, by the way,” He said as he handed May a red and black backpack. “I got first pick since you decided to disappear. C’mon, the center’s this way,” Brendan glanced down at the Beldum, and May scooped it up into her arms. Blaze looked up at May, looking very concerned. 

May shot a grin at Blaze. “This tough guy will be okay, I promise,” May reassured the fire-type, and joined Brendan in the short trek towards the Pokemon Center.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, here's may's first battle! I'm going to make them much more eventful and interesting in the future, so stay tuned!
> 
> thanks for reading!


End file.
